There have been a series of announcements during the first 100 days of Labour’s Government which will impact local authorities during the course of this Parliament, such as:
- The establishment of the New Towns Taskforce. Chaired by Sir Michael Lyons (former local authority Chief Executive), the Taskforce will recommend locations for new towns with each having at least 10,000 homes.
- National Planning Policy Framework reforms. A public consultation has been held seeking views on proposals to revise the National Planning Policy Framework and other aspects of planning. In the King’s Speech, it was announced that there would also be laws on planning reform to remove what was described as blockers to building.
- Devolution. High on the new Government’s agenda and in the King’s Speech, plans were announced to introduce an English Devolution Bill to give new powers to metro mayors and combined authorities. The Council of the Nations and Regions has been established which includes the 12 metro mayors in England.
- The implementation of the Procurement Act 2023. This has been put back to 24 February 2025 giving local authorities more time to ensure that Contract Procedure Rules are updated so as to comply with the new procurement regime.
Despite the progress already made in Labour’s first 100 days in Government, we eagerly await what they have to say on its commitment in respect of its pre-election commitment to multi-year funding settlements which will enable longer-term financial planning to take place – key to local authorities.